UMass Football Recruiting 2026--Aidan Canty-Whitt commits to UMass

 

Aidan Canty-Whitt, a 6-3 285 pound IOL from Concord, MA has joined the Minutemen as a PWO.

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

Also did track and Field. 

UMass needs offensive linemen. Canty-Whitt has good skills and has a chance to earn a scholarship and beyond in Amherst. 

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--GaVin English

 

UMass has offered to GaVin English, a 6-4 285 pound OL from Springfield Central HS in MA.

The Minuteman Command has an interview with English during his Junior Day visit to UMass. 

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

UMass needs offensive linemen. English could play in front of friends and family in Amherst and join the Pop Warner and Joe Griffin talent pipeline with the Minutemen. 

UMass Transfer Portal News--How we did--Offensive Line

 If you missed it, all the original starting offensive linemen from 2025 left/graduated. LT Luke Painton, LG Sullivan Weidman, C Benjamin Roy, RG Mao Glynn and RT Ryan Mosesso all are gone.

The offensive line was not a strong point last year. I went to most of the games and watched 'em all on DVR. I can't think of a game where we dominated the line of scrimmage. I've blogged about our nearly last in FBS rushing totals. 

For the season, UMass went 54-172 31% on third downs. The Minutemen went 6-26 on fourth downs 23%. Those are really bad numbers. A stop on fourth down is a turnover. Stops on 3rd downs are effectively turnovers. A first down at the end of the game would have won the Bryant and Buffalo contests. A lot of that was due to offensive line play.

Brock Taylor started some games later in the season. Jaxon King, Payton Miller and Zachary Franks are probably the top returning offensive linemen.

UMass added Aitor Unionabarrenechea from Colorado State. Greg Knox from McNeese State, and Greg Klingensmith from William & Mary. All three will probably start.

Still, I think this leaves the O-line room pretty thin. I would grade the potential improvement here as a "C" (primarily because of numbers). 

If I was coach and I had enough NIL money for two additional players, I'd spend it on two offensive linemen. If I had NIL for three, I'd spend it on three offensive linemen. 

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--

 

Hudl.com image

UMass has offered to Josiah Wallace, a 6-8 300 pound OT from Glen Ellyn, IL

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video. 

This article covers his offer from Northwestern. 

Wallace has Power Four offers from Cincinnati, Kansas State, Northwestern and Purdue. Miami (Ohio), Northern Illinois, Toledo and Western Michigan have offered from the MAC. UMass needs offensive linemen and Wallace could be in the mix early in Amherst. 

UMass Football News--February 6th, 2026

 

UMass formerly announces hiring Max Warner as offensive coordinator.

Hopefully, Warner will have a lot more offensive talent to work with this year. Former Minuteman OC Mike Bajakian directed the worst offense in college football, but was hired away by Power Four Michigan State, which leads to the conclusion the problem was talent, not coaching.

The Daily Collegian has a post on Warner's hiring. 

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Western Michigan's DC is hired as defensive coordinator for the Los Angles Chargers. 

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Miami (of Florida) signs an OT with a $1.9 million NIL tag.

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UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Don Spillers

USA Today image

  UMass has offered to Don Spillers, a 6-2 195 pound WR from Detroit, MI

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

This article covers his recruitment by Michigan State. 

This article discusses his recruitment by Power Four teams. 

Spillers has fifteen offers including Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State and more. Bowling Green, Toledo, Miami (Ohio) and Western Michigan have offered from the MAC. Spillers is a versatile athlete and he would have a chance to play early in Amherst.

UMass Transfer Portal News--How we did--Receivers

 Like every other stat for 2025 receiving totals were dismal. UMass lost T.Y. Harding for the season early and that made a big dent in playmaking. Harding accounted for 719 total yards in 2024 (receiving 334, punt returns 109 and kickoff returns 276). 

Jacquon Gibson was the only WR threat in 2025. Gibson went 63-613 9.8 yards/catch. But he had ZERO TD's. Of UMass' 8 receiving TD's, four were caught by TE's. Gibson left in the transfer portal and ended up with Virginia. 

I think UMass made a big signing with Joe Griffin Jr. He had a productive career with Boston College.  I think he has the size and skills to to make an impact for the Minutemen.

The T.Y. Harding, Joe Griffin combo should give UMass an effective passing threat.  

UMass also added DII Devin Matthews. He went 36-649 yards and 7 TD's in 2025. Matthews is 5-9 and probably will play the slot receiver.

The Minutemen also signed a talented freshman class with Drew Alsep,  Tavian Dashell, David Moore and Kai Owens. I can see several of those players contributing in 2026. Wide receiver is one position a true freshman can play.

Owens is one of the highest-rated true freshmen ever to sign with UMass. If he gets in and is productive, I'd burn his redshirt (if he agrees) if needed.

I'm excited about the 2026 WR room and I think that room added the most talent on offense. 

I'd give the 2026 WR additions a potential grade of "A". 

UMass Transfer Portal News--How we did--Running backs

 Last year's rushing results for the Minutemen were horrifying. We finished #131 out of 134 in rushing offense.

Against Temple, (who finished 5-7 in 2025) we had 103 net yards rushing and 41 of those 103 came on one rush by Rocco Griffin (who had a good opening quarter against the Owls and then disappeared for the rest of the year). 

Against a 3-8 FCS team Bryant, we rushed for 101 yards and 19 (one fifth) came on one play by Grant Jordan. One rushing first down at the end of the game would have won it for UMass.

Against Buffalo, the game we came the closest to winning, we rushed for 187 yards, but 90 of those yards came on one play by Brandon Hood. For the rest of the game we rushed 43 times for 97 yards.

In the last game of the season in the "Bottom Bowl" against Bowling Green, on our own field, UMass rushed 29 times for 69 net yards,  2.4 yards/rush.

Being unable to run the ball makes the QB look bad. If the defense can disregard the running game, they can pin their ears back and rush the passer, which they did with abandon in 2025.

Fixing the run game will make a major impact on UMass' chances in 2026.

UMass added Jordan Washington. He has good size and had a decent season for the Racers in 2025.

The Minutemen also added Justin Williams-Thomas a transfer from Cal/Marshall.  Williams-Thomas was a highly rated RB out of HS, but so far has been unable to generate much playing time in college. 

I really like true freshman recruit TK Davis. I'm also high on true freshman Justin Lewis.

A freshman can play in four games without burning their redshirt. If I  were the UMass coach, I'd get Davis and Lewis reps in eight games this year. We need production.

I'd give the potential upgrade here as a B minus. We did not sign an instant All-MAC running back , but the expectation is UMass will move up from awful. I think Davis and Lewis have talent to move the meter even further in future years.

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Chad Willis

On3.com image

 UMass has offered to Chad Willis, a 6-2 185 pound WR/Athlete from Orchard Lake, MI.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video. 

This article covers his recruiting by Michigan. 

This article writes about his offer from Michigan State. 

Willis has over 20 offers including Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Cincinnati and more. Bowling Green, Miami (Ohio), Toledo, Western Michigan and  Kent State have offered from the MAC. Willis would have the opportunity to start early in Amherst and also get an East Coast education.

UMass Football Blog News--February 1st, 2026

 I got sucked in by the excitement of the transfer portal and resumed Sunday blogging. Now that it seems the bulk of the transfers have arrived, I'm going  back to taking Sundays off until Fall camp starts.

Everybody stay warm and I'll see you tomorrow! 

UMass Transfer Portal News--How we did -Quarterbacks

 Except for the the Andrew Ford and Blake Frohapfel era during Coach Whipple's second stint at UMass, the Minutemen have not had effective quarterbacks during our FBS era.

Last year AJ Hairston had a 89.2 EFF. Grant Jordan had a 108.1 EFF. Brandon Rose had a EFF of 96.5.

UMass' collective 2025 quarterback opponents had a EFF of 169.0.

Some of the quarterbacks problems were due to a total lack of a running game and very poor pass blocking, but still..

Jordan was clearly the best QB. He scored 33% of UMass' rushing TD's and did make some plays (usually running for his life from the opponents pass rush).

All three left in the transfer portal. Jordan signed with Power Four Oklahoma State.  AJ Hairston signed with FCS Merrimack. So far, I could not find any news for Rose.

UMass added Pop Watson. On paper, he seems a big improvement. However, Watson was unable to break into the starting position at Virginia Tech. He appeared in 11 games and started two in three years with the Hokies. He needs to get out of the gate fast in 2026. UMass needs offensive production and Watson needs to provide it. He'll have the keys to the car starting the season, but if the UMass offense sputters (again), he could be pushed by RJ Johnson III. Last year Johnson had a QB EFF of 146.4 and threw for almost 2,600 yards.

 The UMass QB room also adds true freshman Aedan McCarthy. I like his background and he should be a solid future starter. UMass also has Will Perry who, you will remember, engineered a nifty scoring drive against UConn two years ago.

So how'd we do? 

I would rate the signings as a B+. Both Watson and RJ Johnson III have the potential to jump start the UMass offense. On paper, the quarterback room seems to have substantially more talent than last year. However, Watson's career as a backup at Virginia Tech and Johnson's lack of FBS time will mean we'll have to wait to September to see the results..

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Jaylen Mercer

 UMass has offered to Jaylen Mercer, a 6-5 230 pound Edge from Cincinnati, OH.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video. 

This article covers his recruitment by Arizona. 

This article talks about his offer by Minnesota. 

Mercer has 23 offers including a laundry list of Power Four teams such as Michigan, Wisconsin, BC, Texas A&M and more. UMass, Toledo and Western Michigan have offered from the MAC. Mercer would have the opportunity to play early and often in Amherst. 

UMass Transfer Portal News--January 29th, 2026

 

The Minuteman Command has the complete snapshots of the 2026 transfer portal class.

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I subscribe to 247Sports, but I don't know if this link will be available to non-subscribers.

247Sports ranks UMass' transfer portal class as #2 in the MAC. 

If you can't see it, the MAC transfer portal rankings are

1. Toledo
2. UMass
3. Miami (Ohio)
4. Ohio
5. Ball State
6. Buffalo
7. Akron
8. Bowling Green
9. Central Michigan
10. Eastern Michigan
11. Western Michigan (corrected. I was thinking of Northern Illinois

Toledo had 14 three-star transfers. UMass had 12. Nobody else had more than nine.

247Sports has UMass #103 in FBS transfer portal ranking. The Power Four conference teams occupy (roughly) transfer portal slots 1-65. The Group-of-five teams, again roughly, compete for the slots 66-136, as they do for freshmen recruiting.

At #103 UMass in just into the top half of Group-of-Five teams.

Boston College is ranked #62, which sorta reflects their current status as the bottom of the ACC and near the bottom of the Power Four.

UConn is ranked #71, which is indicative of their  9-4 record  and status as one of the top Group-of-Five teams..

We'll see how it all plays out in 2026! 

 

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Alijah Shaw

 UMass has offered to Alijah Shaw, a 6-8 275 pound OT from Leawood, KS.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video. 

This article covers his visit to Iowa State. 

Florida Atlantic and UMass (his first FBS offer) have offered from Group-of-Five. Power four Arkansas, Minnesota, Iowa State, Northwestern and Wisconsin have also offered.

Shaw could get an East Coast education and be in line for some early playing time in Amherst. 

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--Jameer Henry

Hudl.com image

 UMass has offered to Jameer Henry, a 6-5 300 pound DL from Detroit, MI.

247Sports page here. 

Hudl.com has video. 

Has offer from Michigan State. 

Henery has 23 offers including Power Four Cincinnati, Michigan, Michigan State, Kansas and more. Akron, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Kent State and Miami (Ohio) have offered from the MAC.  

Henry would have a chance to start early in Amherst and make an impact on the program. 

UMass Football Recruiting 2027--DaWayne Jones

 UMass has offered to DaWayne Jones a 6-3 265 pound DL from Tulsa, OK.

247Sports has him as a high three-star recruit. 

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

This article covers his recruitment by Arizona. 

Jones has 23 offers including multiple offers by Power Four programs. LSU, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Kansas State and others have offered. UMass and several other Group-of-Five teams have also offered. He would play earlier with the Minutemen and would be a big signing. 

UMass Transfer Portal News--Jahman Harmon

 

The Minuteman Command has a post interviewing former Lawrence Central coach William Patterson about incoming transfer Jahman Harmon.

UMass was #133 out of 134 FBS in team pass defense efficiency in 2025. Anyone who wanted to pass against the Minuteman defense could do it. UMass gave up 29 passing TD's, which was the most in FBS.

Harmon could push TJ Magee for a starting CB position right away. 

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UMass Transfer Portal News--Justin Williams-Thomas joins UMass

 Justin Williams-Thomas, a 6-0 210 pound RB transfer from Cal/Marshall has signed with UMass.

Williams-Thomas' Herd bio here. 

This article features Williams-Thomas. 

Williams-Thomas was a four-star recruit out of HS, He had multiple Power Four offers. So far, he has not been able to generate much playing time. The UMass RB room was the worst in the nation in 2025. Williams-Thomas should add depth and potential for this year. 

UMass Football News--January 23rd, 2026

 

 

The Minuteman Command has a post and interview with DE transfer Justin Krueger.

DE's who can rush the passer are in high demand. Kreuger has a chance to get some stats that would draw attention of a Power Four program. He'd also make a positive impact on UMass' results.

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UConn's home 2026 schedule includes UMass. 

The Huskies 2026 schedule is significantly more difficult than last year's.  IMHO, another 9-4 season is unlikely.

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 A blog reader sent me the obituary of John Allen, who won letters for the Minutemen in 1979 and 1980. 

Click on any image in the Blog and Blogger displays a full size image. 

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UMass Football News--January 22nd, 2026

 

Kendric Council, who was reported on social media as joining UMass has officially signed.

I blogged about Council on January 19th. 

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Wisconsin Sports Heroics has a post on former Badger WR Joseph Griffin rejoining former teammate Pop Watson in Amherst. 

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The New England Football Journal comments on the impending Pop Watson-Joe Griffin connection. 

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Western Michigan earned a couple of votes in the finial AP top-25 2025 poll.

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Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan agree to a two-year series at the Detroit Lion's Ford Field. 

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UMass Transfer Portal News--Aubrey Melvin transfers to UMass

 Aubrey Melvin, a 6-2 320 pound DL transfer from UConn has joined UMass.

Melvin was a high three-star recruit out of HS.  Melvin had Power Four offers from BC, Pitt, West Virginia and Virginia Tech.

This article from 2024 talks about his commitment to UConn. 

UMass continues to stockpile DL talent. Melvin was rated by 247Sports as a top-100 DL recruit nationally and a top-20 recruit from the state of Maryland. He has Power Four size and he should make an immediate difference in Amherst.

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UMass Football News--January 20th, 2026

 The Minuteman Command has a post on DL transfer Kamarion Thomas.

Thomas was a 247Sports three-star player and ranked as a top-20 defensive player from NY out of HS. 

UMass considerably strengthened the DL with transfer portal recruits with Zakar Morris, Zachary Betts, Justin Krueger, William and Andrew DePaepe along with Thomas. This is a strong group and should make an impact in 2026.

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Akron adds a new transfer QB. 

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Bowling Green adds a former four-star QB transfer from Oregon. The Falcons were almost  as bad at passing as we were in 2025.

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UMass Football News--January 19th, 2026

 

Social media reports Kendric Council, a 6-1 220 pound ILB from St. Francis FCS visited UMass this weekend.

Council's St. Francis bio here. He had 53 TT 2 SACKS 4 deflected passes and 6.5 TFL in 2025.

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Hustle Belt has highlights from the MAC Conference bowl season.

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Gotta cheer for Indiana in tonight's college football championship. They deserve it. 

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UMass Transfer Portal News--January 18th, 2026

 UMass had a productive Saturday as the Minutemen reeled in six transfers.

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UMass closed the deal with 6-4 210 pound WR Joseph Griffin Jr. 

Griffin's Wisconsin bio here. 

The Minuteman Command has a post on Griffin joining the Minutemen. 

Griffin had a productive two years with BC but was unable to crack the starting rotation at Wisconsin. He could do his career (and UMass) a big favor by catching everything in sight in 2026. The Minutemen's long ball passing ability in 2025 was non-existent. 

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 UMass filled a real need with the addition of 6-1 215 pound RB Jordan Washington.

Washington's Racers bio here. 

Washington went 12 GP 86-340 4.0 AVE 3 TD's 24 LONG as a RB. Also caught the ball out of the backfield 22-206 9.4 AVE 3 TD's 60 LONG. And he's big enough to help with pass blocking..

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 UMass signed Justin Krueger a 6-4 250 DL from William & Mary.

Krueger's Tribe bio here. 

Krueger had excellent stats in 2025. He went 12GP 20 UT 32 AT 52 TT 8 TFL (!) 2.0 SACKS and 5 QBH. Those are really good numbers for a down lineman. May he bring that kind of production to Amherst.

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UMass also signed Glen Klingensmith a 6-5 300 OL from William & Mary.

His Tribe bio here.

This article from August of 2025 features Klingensmith. 

Klinggensmith started all 12 games in 2025. He should be an instant starter for UMass.

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Joining the Minutemen is Devlin Matthews, a 5-9 185 pound WR from East Texas A&M.

Devlin's Lion's bio here. 

Devlin went 11GP 30-649 18.0 AVD 7 TD's 59 LONG in 2025. He has the potential to add more firepower to UMass' passing attack.

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 UMass also signed RJ Johnson III, a 6-2 210 pound QB from Florida A&M/Toledo.

Rockets bio here. 

Johnson was All-State in Georgia in HS. He's a capable QB who could insure the UMass offense does not come to a complete halt if Pop Watson gets nicked up.

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UMass Football News--January 17th, 2026

 The transfer portal closed yesterday. That's for players entering the portal.

For players already in the the portal:

•  Once a player is already in the portal:They remain available for recruitment indefinitely.

• Coaches can continue contacting them, hosting visits, and finalizing deals.

• They can commit or officially sign with a new school at any time afterward—no signing deadline is imposed by the portal closure.

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UMass currently has  21 true freshmen recruits for 2026. 

WE have have 18 (counting two players who entered the portal and re-signed with UMass) incoming transfers. 

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The Minuteman Command has an interview with incoming DL transfer Zakar Morris. 

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UMass Football News--January 16th, 2026

 No updates in incoming transfers so far today.

IMHO, still need a RB, FB and an additional OL.

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The Minuteman Command has an interview with Springfield's Central HS head coach Bill Watson-----and father of Pop Watson. 

Coach Watson relates UMass is making a pitch for Joseph Griffin late of Boston College/Wisconsin.

Griffin's Badgers bio here.  

Griffin is a Springfield native and a former teammate of Pop Watson. UMass totally lacked a deep-threat WR last year. The season's longest completion was by TE Max Dowling. Griffin would be a great addition to the 2026 Minutemen.

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One thing did go well in 2025..

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AJ Hairston signs with Merrimack.

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UMass Transfer Portal News--Tim Passmore, Jr and Kendall Bournes re-sign with UMass

 Still looking for a RB and a 240 pound FB..

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 Defensive lineman Tim Passmore, Jr has been re-signed by UMass after entering the transfer portal.

Passmore's UMass bio here. 

In 2025, Passmore went 12 GP 2 UT 13 AT 15 TT. 

D-linemen are the scarcest recruits. Passmore should help in the rebuilding of the Minuteman defensive front. 

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 Also re-signing with the Minutemen is Safety Kendall Bournes. 

Bournes UMass bio here. 

In 2025, Bournes went 12 GP 28 UT 34 AT 62 TT 2 TFL and 1 FF. Keeping him is a strong positive for the Minuteman defense.

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UMass Football Transfer portal News--Five players commit to UMass

 You know UMass football had a good day when number of commits names won't fit in Blogger's title block..

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 Khari Bendolph, a 6-1 205 pound LB transfer from Jacksonville State had committed to UMass.

Jacksonville State bio here. 

173 TT in his HS junior and senior year.  Bendolph should be a solid addition the the middle of the UMass defense. 

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Greg Knox, a 6-6  305 pound OL transfer from McNeese State has joined the Minutemen.

McNeese bio here.

Rated as a three-star transfer by On3.com.

The Minuteman Command has an interview with Knox. 

Knox should be in contention to start immediately. Run blocking and pass protection was a major problem last year. Knox could change that around.

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 Isaiah Reed, a 6-0 180 pound DB from UCF/Brown has committed to UMass.

UCF bio here.

At Brown, Reed was a team captain and nominated for a number of FCS awards. He should supply senior leadership and contend for a starting position.

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Jahmad Harmon, a 5-10 180 pound DB from Ball State/Kent State has transferred to UMass

Cardinals bio here. 

Harmon should supply depth and talent to a UMass secondary that was next-to-last in team pass defense efficiency in 2025. 

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Zachary Betts, a 6-2 245 pound LB transfer from St. Francis has committed to UMass.

St. Francis bio here. 

Another bio here. 

Betts has the size to play up close to the line of scrimmage. He should be an excellent addition to the Minuteman defense.

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UMass Transfer Portal News--Randal King and Andrew & William Depaepe commit to UMass

 

Randall King a 6-2 205 pound WR transfer from Campbell has joined the Minutemen.

Camels' bio here. 

King was 2024 Phil Steele Freshman All-American. In 2025 he went 59-689 and 5 TD's. Last year an injury to one WR (TY Harding) put the UMass passing game into a dead stop. King should be an excellent target for Pop Watson to throw to.

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Social media is reporting Andrew and William Depaepe defensive linemen from Indiana are transferring to UMass .

Andrew Depaepe was a four-star recruit out of HS. 

William Depaepe

William Depaepe was a high three-star recruit by 247Sports. 

Sports Illustrated has a story on  the Depaepe brothers leaving Indiana.

Andrew Depaepe could the the highest rated recruit ever to play for the Minutemen. Both should be a huge addition to the UMass defensive front.

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UMass Football Transfer Portal News--Pop Watson and Aitor Urionabarrenecha commit

 

Pop Watson, has committed to UMass. 

The Minuteman Command has a post on Watson's commitment.

Sports Illustrated also has a story on Watson's joining UMass. 

There is an old maxim that says "if you don't have a quarterback, you don't have an offense." Except for Whipple's four years, UMass has struggled to field a FBS-level quarterback. Watson has the skills to build an offense around. By himself, Watson can't do it, but with a running game, wide receivers and a better offensive line, he could lead UMass out of the wilderness.

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Watson gets some help with the commit of Aiton Urionabarrenecha, a 6-5 320 OL transfer from Colorado State.

His Colorado State bio here. 

Played 769 snaps for the Rams in 2025. 

Urionabarrenecha should be the starting center in 2026. The Minuteman offensive line needs a big improvement over 2025 if we are to be more competitive this year.

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UMass Transfer Portal News--Joshua Iseah commits to UMass and "Pop" Warner visits

 

Joshua Iseah, a 6-2 238 pound LB/Edge from North Carolina A&T has committed to UMass.

A&T Bio here. 

Was a FCS Freshman All-American in 2023. 

Career stats here. 

Iseah is a senior with 182 TT. He can play stand-up LB or one hand down. He should add a dimension to a UMass defense that needs more talent and experience.

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 The Minuteman Command posted this image of Coach Harasymiak and new OC Max Warner with transfer target "Pop" Warner at Mullins yesterday.

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Boston College loses 29 players to the transfer portal.

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Former UMass QB Grant Jordan signs with Oklahoma State.

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UMass Football News--January 10th, 2026

 UMass has hired Max Warner as offensive coordinator. Warner was previously QB coach at Bowling Green.

Falcons bio here. 

The Minuteman Command has a post on his hiring. 

Now get the man a FBS-level QB, running back and offensive line..

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2025 UMass WR Jake McConnachie will play in the the Dream Bowl.

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UMass Transfer Portal News--Grant Mills and Michael Robinson II join the Minutemen

 

Grant Mills, a 5-10 223 pound LS from North Carolina/Ohio State has transferred to UMass.

Buckeyes bio here. 

Bio from Khohls Kicking camp in 2023 here. 

This article discusses his move from North Carolina to Ohio State. 

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 Michael Robinson II, a 5-11 194 pound Star transfer from Rutgers has joined the Minutemen.

Played in all 12 games on special teams in 2025 for the Scarlet Knights. 

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UMass Transfer Portal News--Zakar Morris transfers to UMass

 Zakar Morris, a 6-2 295 pound DL transfer from the Albany Great Danes has joined the Minutemen.

Albany bio here. 

Hudl.com has senior HS highlights. 

Recruited by UMass in 2023. 

Defensive linemen are the scarcest recruits. Morris is only a Redshirt freshman and should a lot of development and playing time in his future with UMass.

UMass Transfer Portal News--Kamerion (Duece) Thomas commits to UMass

 

Kamarion Thomas, a 6-3 280 pound DL transfer from North Carolina has joined the Minutemen.

Tarheel bio here. 

On3.com had him a Top-20 DL recruit out of NY in 2024. 

So did 247Sports. 

This article covers his recruitment by North Carolina. 

Thomas has four years of eligibility. Last year I drove all the way to Ohio to watch the UMass-Kent State game. What I saw was the Golden Flashes, who are by no means Nebraska, run right up the "A" gap against the UMass defense. Thomas could be a fixture in the Minutemen DL for a number of years. 

UMass Transfer Portal News--Chris Stanley signs with UMass

 Chris Stanley, a 6-0 180 pound DB from Garden City C.C. has signed with UMass.

The Minuteman Command has a post on Stanley's signing. 

Stanley's Garden City bio here

Hudl.com has video highlights. 

 Stanley has a chance to make an impact immediately. The UMass pass defense was awful in 2025. Opponents threw for 2,550 yards, 67.99% Completion AVE, 29 TD's and a 168.99 (!) EFF. Hope to see Stanley making BKUP's in 2026.  

UMass Transfer Portal News--January 5th, 2026

 Social media reports UMass has offered to two transfer portal running backs.

 Jayden Clerveaux, 5-11 220 from Holy Cross. His Crusaders bio here. In 2025 Clerveaux rushed 161-779 4.7 AVE 5 TD's.

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Nick Osho 6-2 220 from Indiana State. Sycamores' bio here. In 2025 Osho rushed for 119-712 5.8 AVE 8 TD's. 

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Boston College transfer RB Turbo Richards, mentioned here last week, signed with Indiana. 

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UMass Transfer Portal News--January 4th, 2026

 I know I said I was going to take Sundays off but I can't resist..

Social Media reports UMass has offered to All-America Elon QB Landen Clark.

 Elon Bio here. Clark threw for 2,311 yards and 18 TD's. Rushed 189 times for 614 yards and 11 TD's.

Also being pursued by Michigan State. UMass could not match Big 10 $$, but could offer a sure starting position.

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UMass has also offered Tyler Hughes ex-William & Mary. The Tribe has already scrubbed his bio. 

 ESPN has Hughes' stats here. Hughes threw for 2,330 yards and 20 TD's with only 3 INT's. Also rushed 165 times for 678 yards and 11 TD's.

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UMass Football News--January 3rd, 2026

 About 4,500 players are in the transfer portal.

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Social media reports UMass has made multiple offers. So far, no signings announced.

UMass needs:

1.  A dual-threat QB. 

2.  A FBS level RB.

3. Offensive line help.

4. Cornerbacks

5. Defensive line help.

6. Wide receivers. 

UMass was dead last in total offense (by a significant margin) last year. That was the worst offense in Minuteman history. 

The Minutemen were #131 in rushing offense and averaged 2.81 yards/carry. Only Charlotte in all of college football had less rushing TD's. 

UMass was also dead last in passing efficiency. No defense could win with this offense. Improving the Minutemen offense to "average" would help a lot..

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The Armed Forces Bowl had a couple of scary incidents yesterday. 

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BC signs a transfer from Holy Cross.

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UMass Football News--January 2nd, 2026

 The transfer portal opened at midnight. It will remain open until the 17th. So we shall see what we will see.

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The Minuteman Command has JUCO CB Chris Stanley visiting Amherst this weekend.

YouTube has Stanley's highlights. 

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Football Scoop has a post on Pitt staffer Brandon Bowie being named director of high school recruiting at UMass.

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The Daily Collegian reports on UMass OC Mike Bajakian leaving to become QB coach at Michigan state. 

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Bajakian will have his work cut out as 30 Spartan players are have announced for the transfer portal.

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On2.com has UMass 9th in MAC's 2026 recruiting rankings. 

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Boston College hires Ted Roof as defensive coordinator.  Roof served as DC, LB coach and recruiting coordinator at UMass from 1994-1996.

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New Year's Day--2026

 

Hey, we're undefeated in  2026!!

Mrs Blog and I wish all readers of this site health and happiness in the new year (you deserve it). 

I think there will be progress this year. Can't wait to see what the transfer portal brings us..

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